Question

The study featured in the Focus on Neuroscience box "The Mysterious Placebo Effect" noted that participants were exposed to a painful stimulus. What did PET scans reveal?

a) Increased pain sensation in the placebo group
b) Decreased pain sensation in the placebo group
c) No change in pain sensation in the placebo group
d) Changes in brain activity associated with pain perception in the placebo group

Answer 1

PET scans in a study related to the placebo effect revealed changes in brain activity associated with pain perception in the placebo group, indicating that participants' beliefs influenced their pain experience.

Step-by-step explanation:

The placebo effect refers to a psychologically based reaction to a treatment that occurs simply because the subject is treated, even if the treatment is a placebo that does not have a physiological effect on the patient. In the context of a study using PET scans to investigate the placebo effect, participants exposed to a painful stimulus while given a placebo showed changes in their brain activity.

Specifically, PET scans revealed d) Changes in brain activity associated with pain perception in the placebo group. These changes in brain activity suggest that the participants' belief in the effectiveness of the placebo influenced their perception of pain, even though the placebo itself did not exert any direct effects on the physiological mechanisms of pain.